Machines for feeding stock to type building machines



March 19, 1963 I J. eooowm 3,081,959

' MACHINES FOR FEEDING STOCK TO TYRE BUILDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 3, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 1' INVENTOR JOHN Gooowm n I omeys March 19, 1963 J. sooowm I ,0

MACHINES FOR FEEDING STOCK T0 TYRE BUILDING MACHINES File d Feb. 3, 1960 Y I s Sheets-She't 2 INVENTOR. J nn Goopwin {W QQM #7312 H Tl RN YS March 19, 1963 J. GOODWIN 3,081,959

MACHINES FOR FEEDING STOCK TO TYRE BUILDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 3, 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 March 19, 1963 J. sooowm 3,081,959

MACHINES FOR FEEDING STOCK T0 TYRE BUILDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 3, 1960 e Sheets-Sheet 4 March 19, 1963 J. sooowm 3,

MACHINES FOR FEEDING STOCK TO TYRE BUILDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 5. 1960 e Sheets-Sheet s J. GOODWIN March 19, 1963 MACHINES FDR FEEDING STOCK T0 TYRE BUILDING MACHINES Filed Feb. 3. 1960 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 mm y TW M NO M We n O mG N H O f I. 0 6 H M mfl m W ill u United States Ireland Filed Feb. 3, 1960, Ser- No. 6,554 9 Claims. (Cl. 242-64) This invention relates to improvements in machines for feeding stock to tyre building machines and of the kind comprising a turret mounted on a stand and mechanically rotated to bring one of a pair of groups of stock supply units into position for transfer of the stock to a tyre building drum. The groups of units are disposed on opposite sides of the turret and as one group of units is feeding stock to the tyre building drum, the other group of units is being replenished. Each unit of the group comprises a pair of rolls comprising a supply roll and a re-wind roll operatively associated by a Web which as it is unwound from one roll it will be wound upon the other, the stock material being carried between the turns of the web. The units are mounted in spaced relation on an endless chain at each side of the pairs of rollers and are carried intermittently to present each unit in turn to a table on the base over which the stock passes to the tyre building drum.

Machines of the above kind are well known and the units of which are driven by chain and sprocket mechanism, each unit as it is brought in turn to the feed position being engaged with a driven member tangentially whereby one of the rollers is driven to issue the stock.

The object of the present invention is to obviate certain disadvantages that arise in connection with a drive i of this character.

According to the invention, in a stock feeding machine of the kind described, both stock and rewind rolls are positively engaged with the main drive of the unit.

Preferably the driving engagement is effected through the intermediary of driving and braking clutches brought into axial engagement with the rewind and stock roll shafts respectively.

Control mechanism is embodied in the machine directly operative by one of the rolls to control primarily a main electric motor for driving the rolls through the clutch the rewind roll andbraking the stock supply roll to keep the web or liner wound from one roll to the other in tension at all times. As a means of aligning. the locus of rotation of the clutches and the locus of rotation of the driven shafts, a support frame for the clutch mechanism is provided adapted to be mounted on a stub ax-le in axial alignment With the axis of the driving sprocket of the group unit .conveyor chains.

The control mechanism includes a measuring devicebeing a means of measuring pre-set but adjustable lengths of stock material intermittently from a unit, is. a series of lengths can be measured from a' particular stock feed roll or separate lengths can be measured individually from each unit 'as it is brought into thestock feeding position in turn by the conveyor chain.

Means'are also provided whereby the speed of the web is maintained constant regardless of changing diameter of the rewind roll or of the stock roll.

' In order that the invention may be clearly understood atent and readily carried into efiect, reference is directed to the accompanying drawings.

FIGURE 1 shows in side elevation a stock feeding machine of the kind described and to which the present invention is applied;

FIGURE 2 is a plan view of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 shows in longitudinal section, clutch mechanism according to the invention by means of which the stock and rewind rolls are driven, and is taken generally along line 33 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 4 shows in sectional elevation a stub axle mounting for a support frame for operative part of the clutch mechanism, and is taken generally along line 4-4 of FIG. 1;

FIGURE 5 shows in side elevation mechanism for controlling the issue of stock material from a group unit;

FIGURE 6 is a front elevation of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of FIGURE 5;

FIGURE 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 9 is a wiring diagram.

Referring to the drawings, in particular FIGURES 1 and 2 which show a preferred arrangement according to the invention and comprising a stock feeding machine consisting of a rotatable turret '10 mounted on a base stand 11 by pivot shaft 12, the turret being adapted to support two groups 13' and 14 of stock supply units which are oppositely disposed on the turret 10 and brought into a stock feeding position alternately in the known manner. Each group 13, 14 of units is mounted between endless conveyor chains 15 running over sprockets 16 at each side and by suitable index mechanism are moved step by step to bring each unit in turn to a stock feeding position i.e. at the right hand side of FIGURE 1, the stock being fed by two rolls, a stock supply roll 17 and a rewind roll 18 which are operatively associated and feed the stock over a table 19 to a tyre building drum (not shown). Each unit of a group of units consists of a stock supply roll 17 and a re-wind roll 18 and a web which upon rotation of the rolls is wound from one roll to the other, the movement being clockwise in respect of the stock supply roll 17 and anti-clockwise on the other troll 18, so that stock material carried between the turns of the Web will issue from between the rolls to the table 19 aforesaid upon the unit being driven upon reach ing its stock feeding position.

As the web moves forward a predetermined length of stock set by the aid of control mechanism hereinafter described is applied to the whole circumference of the tyre building drum and then severed, the loose end of the stock being automatically rewound in the known manner onto the stock roll.

The turret 10 is rotated in the known manner as is also the drive to the endless conveyor chains 15 by means of an electric motor 21 and chain and sprocket drive 22 whereby the stock feeding units are moved step by step each to the stock feeding position. i The drive for each group of units is duplicated at each side of the turret and mounted on the latter.

controlled by a solenoid operated air valve, the function of which'is controlled in relation to the stock feeding units. The roll shafts 23 and 274 are mounted in parallelism and connected at their ends to the endless conveyor chains of the group unit and both shafts are connected at each end by a spacing member 30 in which the ends of the shafts are mounted in roller bearings 31. Both shafts 23, .24 extend beyond the bracing members 30 and each have a pinion 32, 33 respectively, both pinions intermeshing. One pinion 32 is keyed to the shaft of the re-wind roll 18 and the other 33 has built into it a 60 foot length of spring 34, one end of which is fastened to the pinion and the other end to the supply roll shaft 24 in such a manner so as to impart through the pinions a tension at all times to the web connected to the rolls as previously described. The two pinions are of different diameters so as to compensate as near as possible any build up of the tension as the rolls 17, 18 are rotated due to the build up of diameter of web and/or stock on one roll as compared with the other. The female clutch members 25, 26 are keyed to the end of each shaft for engagement with the complementary male clutch members 27, 28. The male clutch members 27, 28 are each mounted on spline shafts 35, 36, by means of sleeves 37, 38 rotatable in an actuating member 39 mounted adjacent a support frame 40 in which the free unsplined ends of the spline shafts 35, 36 are mounted and rotatable in ball bearings 42a. The support frame 49 is pivotally disposed on the bracket extension 41 of the main frame of the turret 10 of the machine by means of a stub axle 42 (see FIGURE 4), the arrangement being such that the stub axle 42 is in axial alignment with the shaft axis of the lower driving sprocket 16 of the group unit conveyor chains 15. The support frame 46 is counter-balanced on the stub-axle 42 so that as each unit comprising stock roll 17 and take off roll 18 is brought to a stock feeding position there is a degree of relative permissible movement between the members 25, 26, 27 and 28 of the clutch mechanism to ensure positive engagement upon alignment of the spline shafts 35, 36 axially with the shafts 23, 24 of the two rolls 17 and 18. In other words, the frame 40 which supports the male members 27, 28 of the clutching mechanisms, and which is pivoted to stub shaft 42, is counter balanced so that there is permissible movement between the male members 27, 28 as mounted on frame 40, and the female members 25, 26 of the clutching mechanisms, so that in the event that there is not perfect axial alignment between the shafts 23, 24 of the liner and stock rolls and the splined shafts 35, 36, as such rolls are moved down into stock supplying position, upon movement of the male members 27, 28 of the clutch mechanisms into their coacting female members 25, 26 due to actuation of motor unit 29, the frame 49 will pivot about its pivotal mounting 42 to permit the effective clutching operation. The male members are moved as aforementioned into and out of engagement pneumatically by the air cylinder 2? fitted in the supportframe 46. One clutch arrangement 25, 27 drives the re-wind roll 18, i.e. the upper roll of the pair of rolls and is positively driven by a pinion 43 keyed to its spline shaft 35 from an electric motor 44 (FIGURES 1 and 2) also mounted on the support frame 40, the second clutch arrangement 26, 2-8 when engaged is driven from the top rewind roll 18 by rotation of the lower stock carrying roll 17 through the pull of the Web as the rewind roll rotates. The purpose of the clutch arrangement 26, 28, of the lower stock holding roll 17, is to hold the latter roll against over-run and for this purpose, a disc brake 45 is combined with the clutch arrangement through the spline shaft thereof which becomes operative immediately the motor drive to the top roll ceases. The clutch members are not disengaged until another stock feeding unit is required. The stub axle 42 is bolted to a boss 46 welded to the extension 41 and the support frame 40 is mounted thereon by means of ball bearings 47.

FIGURES 5, 6, 7 and 8 illustrate a means of controlling the electrical operation of the driving motor 44 of the clutch and brake mechanism, and for ensuring the issue of a pro-determined length of stock material from a unit. The control mechanism embodies a measuring friction wheel 48 keyed to a traversing screw 49 which upon rotation of the friction wheel will move a nut 50 carrying a switch arm 52 adapted to actuate a microswitch 53 for breaking the electrical circuit of the motor 44 after a pre-determined number of revolutions of the friction wheel 48 has meen made. The switch 53 is carried by a screw nut 54 which is adjustable along a fixed screw 55 by means of a knob 56 and can be se relatively to the switch arm 52 carried by the nut 50 of the traversing screw 49 and thus be operated by the switch arm after the required number of revolutions of the friction wheel 48 have been made. The control mechanism aforesaid is mounted within a casing 57 provided with a lug 58 by means of which it is attached to one end of an arm 59 extending radially from a shaft 61 mounted in bearing members 62 on the main base frame 11 of the machine and provided with a pinion 63 at one end rotatable by a rack 64 actuated pneumatically by double-acting piston and cylinder arrangement 65 controlled by a solenoid actuated four-way air valve. The arrangement is such that upon closing the circuit of the solenoid actuated air valve, the arm 59 will be swung about the axis of the shaft 61 to which it is keyed to bring it into engagement with the bottom of the stock feeding roll 17 as shown in FIGURES 5 and 6, so that as the stock feeding roll 17 is driven, it will rotate the friction Wheel 48 until the traversing screw 49 keyed thereto has moved the nut 56 to a pre-determined position to actuate the switch 53 and thereby break the electric circuit of the main electric motor 44 stopping the drive through the clutch mechanism parts 25, 27 and actuating the brake 45, which in turn acts through parts 2*, 28 on the stock feed roll 17 to keep it from overrunning. The switch mechanism arm 58, 59 and associated friction wheel 48 falls back and returns to its starting position. The primary circuit to the motor 44- is closed by the pressure of the friction wheel of the control mechanism against the web on the underside of the stock supply roll. The friction wheel transversing screw is provided with a pinion 66 to engage a secondary pinion 67 which is loaded by a spring 68 so that after disengagement of the friction wheel 48 from the stock feeding roll 17 it returns to its initial set position.

As a means of controlling the speed of the driven web in order that the speed of the web shall remain constant regardless of the build-up of diameter of the rewind roll and reduction in diameter of the stock supply roll, an electrical resistance 69 is actively associated with the movement of the arm 59 or rack 64 so that the resistance is varied by the movement of the wheel 48 when it travels to contact with the web on the stock supply roll, this distance of travel being a function of the stock supply roll diameter. A method is thus provided of maintaining the web and stock speed constant by the use of a variable resistance in the motor circuit and operated by the measuring head mechanism in order that the motor speed can be varied to compensate for changing diameters in the rewind and stock supply rolls and reducing inertia as the stock roll empties.

The amount of resistance inserted in the motor circuit may not necessarily be in direct proportion to the distance travelled by the wheel 4-8, in order to maintain constant web speed, i.e. the variable resistance would be operated by a suitably profiled cam to vary the resistance as required to counteract the build-up of the liner roll and reducing inertia of the stock roll. It is the web speed which it is desired should be kept constant and not the stock roll, the speed of which will alter as its diameter reduces and the liner roll diameter increases. The speed of the liner roll it; is the important factor as this is the driven roll and it is the relationship between the motor speed and this roll diameter which governs the speed of the web and stock.

In operation assuming that a stock feeding unit is in the main drive motor 44 being open. The control mechanism switch 53 is set to the required position and the circuit of the solenoid is closed to actuate the air-cylinder valve to bring the friction wheel 48 into engagement with the lower stock roll 17. This action also closes an electric circuit to permit the operation of a primary switch to the main motor 44, the rewind roll commences to rotate and as the web is wound thereon the lower roll unwinds stock to feed it forward to the receiving table 19. The drive motor 44 is actuated as aforementioned upon engagement of the wheel or roll 48 with the web of the stock roll 17 as shown in FIG. 5. This may be accomplished by means of switch 111, which is actuated upon relative pivoting of roll 48 and mounting arm 58 with respect to arm 59. This switch 111, as shown in FIG. 5, is mounted on arm section 59. This is a conventional spring-loaded switch which opens when the roll 48 and arm 58, 59 are swung away from the stock roll. The braking means 45 is deactivated upon movement of the roll 48 into engagement with the stock roll and as by means of a conventional switch 140 (FIG. 9) thereby permitting driving of the stock roll by the liner'roll which is coupled via pinion 43 (FIG. 3) to the driving motor 44, which motor has been actuated as aforediscussed upon engagement of roll 48 with the stock roll. Brake 45 may be of the conventional well-known spring-loaded type, which upon deactivation of its associated solenoid 141 FIG. 9) the springs in the brake cause the brake to be actuated, or to grip, and thus such braking mechanism 45 will hold the stock roll in stationary position and via its clutch 26, 28 with the shaft 24 of the stock roll.

When a p-re-determined length has been delivered, the length being previously determined, by setting the length control mechanism switch by knob 56, the switch 53 is actuated and opens the motor circuit, and resulting in application of the brake to stop overrun of the stock feeding roll and resulting in disengagement of the control mechanism which resets itself and returns to its original position. The knob 56 sets a visual scale calibrated in millimeters or inches.

To repeat this operation on the next set of rolls the motor unit 29' is operated, which retracts the clutches; the next unit is then indexed into position and the clutches are re-engaged.

The main motor speed is controlled so as to impart to the stock being delivered a speed equal to that of the peripheral speed of the drum.

'For the purpose of illustrating the foregoing operations reference is made to the wiring diagram in FIG. 9 wherein the parts forming the structure of the aforesaid apparatus, are identified by reference characters used in the description of the apparatus. In the diagram lines L1 and L2. designate the service lines. A button type of starting switch 100 may be disposed in the conductor 101 which extends from the service line L1. When closed, the current flows into coil 102 of a relay, which in turn operates to close the norm-ally open switches 103 and 104. Upon closing switch 104, current flows from line L1 through conductor 106 and 107 to coil 108 for operating a solenoid valve, which in turn controls the air supply valve 109, thus allowing air to flow into the cylinder 65. Current flows from the coil 108 through conductor 110 back ot the line L2.

The flow of air into the cylinder 65- actuates the rack 64 to swing the arm 59 about the pivot 61, thus moving 1 the arm 58 and the wheel 48 carried thereby toward the stock roll. Upon contact of the Wheel with the stock roll there is relative motion resulting between the arms 58 and 59 suffi cient to close switch 111 which in turn closes the circuit tocoil 112, thus operating to actuate a solenoid for closing the switches 113 and 140 and thereby closing the circuit to the motor 44 and deactivate the brake means 45 via brake solenoid coil 141. Thus, upon closing the switch 111 current flowsfrom the line L1 through conductor 115, normally closed micro-switch 53, conductor 116, :coil 112 and conductor 117 back to line L2. Upon closing of the switch 113 the current flows from L1 through conductor 120 through resistance 69, conductor 122, motor 44, conductor 123, switch 113, conductor 124, thence through conductor 117 to line L2. The starting button 100 is held closed until the solenoid coil 112 is energized. At such time the starting button can be released, and the coil 102 remains energized by the holding circuit from L1, conductor 130, switch 103, switch 131, conductor 132 to coil 102, thence through conductor 133 to line L2. Switch 131 is held closed by energization of coil 134 which is connected by conductors 135 and 136 across the motor The coils 112 and 134 are energized so long as the motor is operating. Upon interruption of the motor circuit due to opening of switch 53 by switch arm 52 of nut 50, the coils 112 and 134 are deenergized, thus opening the switches 131, 113, deenergizing the coil 102, and opening the switch 140, so as to deenergize the brake solenoid coil 141; Such brake sircuit includes conductor 142, switch 140, conductor 143, coil 141 and conductor 144. The brake 45, being a disc type, which i normally held closed or in operative position by a spring, then operates to arrest the rotation of the stock roll.

It will be appreciated that the invention is subject to -modification in many ways, for example, means may be provided for the delivery of two lengths of stock from a given unit, measured by the control head.

One of the primary advantages of the invention is that stock controlled and delivered to a tyre building drum is free from tension and further facilitates dispensation speed of stock be adjusted easily to match peripheral speed of drums of differing diameters on tyre building machines having difiering speeds.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. Servicing apparatus for storing a stock of flexible strip material and supplying the same to an operating stat-ion as required, said apparatus comprising a supporting structure, a carrier movably mounted on the structure, .a plurality of stock supply units mounted on the carrier, each unit comprising a stock roll and a liner roll adapted to have a liner of flexible material extending therebetween, an electric motor, a normally open circuit for the motor, means including a clutch providing a driving connection between said motor and said liner roll, a driving connection between said liner roll and said stock roll, normally actuated friction braking means, connecting means between said braking means and said stock roll, means adapted for selective coaction with said stock roll and being operable to close said circuit and thus actuate said motor while deactuating said braking means upon said coaction, and other means actuated by said stock roll coacting means for reopening said circuit and thus deactivating said motor while reactivating said braking means.

2. A servicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said stock roll coacting means includes a rotatable member mounted on the structure for selective engagement with the stock roll, a traveling member, means coacting between said rotatable member and said traveling member for moving the latter upon rotation of the rotatable member, there beinga switch adapted for actuation by the traveling member upon predetermined: movement thereof, said switch being operable to deactivate said motor.

3. A servicing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said means coacting between said rotatable member and said travelling member comprises a threaded shaft rotatably driven by the rotatable member and wherein said traveling member comprises a nut movable axially along the shaft upon rotation of the latter, for actuating said switch;

4. A servicing apparatus according to claim 3, includ ing a carrier supporting said switch thereon, the last men- 7 tioned carrier being adjustable axially with reference to said threaded shaft, whereby the extent of travel of the nut prior to actuation of said switch may be varied by a selected amount.

5. A servicing apparatus according to claim 2, including an arm pivotally mounted on said structure, said rotatable member being journaled on said arm, and wherein means are provided for swinging said arm and associated rotatable member with reference to the stock so as to engage and disengage the same at respectively the beginning and at the end or" a predetermined length of stock which is adapted to be fed from the stock roll.

6. A servicing apparatus according to claim 5, including a variable resistance in circuit with said motor, said resistance being actuated by movement of said arm, so as to vary the speed of the motor in accordance with variations in the diameter of the stock roll as the material is fed therefrom, whereby the tension on the web is maintained substantially constant as the diameter of the stock roll varies.

7. A servicing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein two clutches are utilized, one for maintaining a driving connection between the motor and the liner roll and the other for maintaining a driving connection between the brake and the stock roll, and wherein means are provided for selectively actuating both clutches simultaneously for disengaging the liner roll from the motor and for disengaging the stock roll from the brake.

8. A servicing apparatus for toring a stock of flexible material and supplying the same to an operating station as required, said apparatus comprising a supporting structure, a carrier movably mounted on the structure, a plurality of stock supply units mounted on the carrier, each unit comprising a stock roll and a liner roll, with a liner of flexible material adapted to extend therebetween, an electric motor mounted on the supporting structure, a

normally open circuit for said motor, means including a clutch providing a driving connection between said motor and said liner roll, a driving connection between said liner roll and said stock roll, normally actuated friction braking means mounted on said structure, connecting means between said braking means and said stock roll, whereby said stock roll is normally held stationary by said actuated braking means, selectively movable means including a rotatable member adapted for rolling coaction with said stock roll, the last mentioned movable means being operative to close said motor circuit and thus actuate said motor While deactivating said braking means upon said coaction of said rotatable member with said stock roll, control means including a switch in the motor circuit and a coacting traveling member, said traveling member being actuated by said rotatable member upon rotation of the latter, said traveling member being operable to actuate said switch upon predetermined rotation of said rotatable member to thereby reopen the motor circuit and thus deactivate said motor While reactivating said braking means, and resistance means operatively coupled to said motor and to said movable means to vary the speed of said motor in accordance with the movement of said movable means.

9. A servicing apparatus in accordance with claim 8, including retraction means for returning said traveling member to its initial position upon disengagement of said rolling member from said stock roll.

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 20, 1929 

1. SERVICING APPARATUS FOR STORING A STOCK OF FLEXIBLE STRIP MATERIAL AND SUPPLYING THE SAME TO AN OPERATING STATION AS REQUIRED, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, A CARRIER MOVABLY MOUNTED ON THE STRUCTURE, A PLURALITY OF STOCK SUPPLY UNITS MOUNTED ON THE CARRIER, EACH UNIT COMPRISING A STOCK ROLL AND A LINER ROLL ADAPTED TO HAVE A LINER OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL EXTENDING THEREBETWEEN, AN ELECTRIC MOTOR, A NORMALLY OPEN CIRCUIT FOR THE MOTOR, MEANS INCLUDING A CLUTCH PROVIDING A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID MOTOR AND SAID LINER ROLL, A DRIVING CONNECTION BETWEEN SAID LINER ROLL AND SAID STOCK ROLL, NORMALLY ACTUATED FRICTION BRAKING MEANS, CONNECTING MEANS BETWEEN SAID BRAKING MEANS AND SAID STOCK ROLL, MEANS ADAPTED FOR SELECTIVE COACTION WITH SAID STOCK ROLL AND BEING OPERABLE TO CLOSE SAID CIRCUIT AND THUS ACTUATE SAID MOTOR WHILE DEACTUATING SAID BRAKING MEANS UPON SAID COACTION, AND OTHER MEANS ACTUATED BY SAID STOCK ROLL COACTING MEANS FOR REOPENING SAID CIRCUIT AND THUS DEACTIVATING SAID MOTOR WHILE REACTIVATING SAID BRAKING MEANS. 